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British Empire
Please note The British Empire has a vast history spanning many centuries, most of which is not relevant to Nazi Germany or World War Two and as a result only the most important details are documented here. The British Empire was a vast collection of dominions, colonies, mandates, protectorates and territories administered by Great Britain, or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as it is now known. History The British Empire began early in the seventeenth century (1600s), when the English established colonies in North America and the Caribbean. Most of these colonies were administered by 'joint-stock' companies such as the East India Company. England made many attempts to set up colonies in various countries, many of which failed. Some noteworthy early successes included Jamestown, Virginia, North America (established 1907), the annexation of Jamaica, Caribbean from Spain (1655) and Barbados, Carribean (1927). The British Empire fought many wars with nations such as Spain and the United-Dutch provinces, but none are more famous than the war with its thirteen colonies in North America, which, between 1775 and 1777, rebelled and won their independence from the Empire, forming the United-States of America. None the less, the British still owned land in North America (Canada), and went on to claim land on all seven continents. At its height in 1921, 23% of the world's population lived in the British Empire; the empire eventually became known as "the Empire on which the sun never set" because it was so vast that it was always daytime somewhere in its many territories. During the Second World War Britain and its empire declared war on Germany on the third of September, 1939 in response to the German invasion of Poland and was a key part of the alliance known as "the Allies". It immediately found an ally in France, but after the French surrender in June 1940, the British Empire stood alone until the US pledged military aid to it. On the 7th December 1941, the Empire of Japan carried out an air raid against America's Pearl harbour and attacked British Malaya, before declaring war on the United States of America and the British Empire. Upon the entry of the US into the war, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill became hopeful that not only could Britain win the war, but that its empire would survive as well. The British defeats in the far east, namely the Fall of Singapore led many to the realisation that Britain could not defend the vast territories against the Germans and Japanese. This meant that Australia and New Zealand, which were part of the British Empire, had to establish closer ties with the US due to the ever increasing threat posed by the Japanese. Eventually, Britain won the Second World War, however it was severely and irreversibly damaged. Over the later half of the twentieth century, the vast majority of its colonies gained independence, although 53 of these joined the British Commonwealth. Although the British Empire ended in 1997 with the transfer of Hong Kong to China, the United-Kingdom still has control of 14 'oversees territories' that are not independent nations. Gallery UnionJack.PNG|The Union Jack, flag of the United Kingdom and its Empire Category:Nations Category:Allied nations Category:British Empire